Reborn
by Maylen
Summary: Harry Potter, tired of life and betrayal, has his final showdown with Voldemort. Tired of living as a martyr, he allows Voldemort to kill him without a fight. He decides that he doesn't want to go back to finish the job, as he wants to finally be at peace with his loved ones that died. However, things don't go as planned, as he made a final wish, and Fate sought to grant it.
1. Prologue

**Hello everyone. This is my first attempt at writing a Harry Potter fanfic, and I haven't written fanfiction in many years. The characters may be OOC, and I'm sorry if that happens. This is mainly as a writing exercise to get over my severe writer's block. I'm not entirely sure where I will be going with this fic, and I'm not even sure if I will manage to finish this, which I hate, because I dislike it when a fic gets abandoned. Just a warning in advanced. If anyone is interested in this, please let me know. Feedback and constructive criticism would be great. I hope you enjoy the prologue!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. If I did, my favorite characters would still be alive...:(**

* * *

Harry just stood there, half dead on his feet, bleeding from various wounds. He knew this moment would come. He had prayed for it, hoped for it, and wished for it. He held his wand loosely in his right hand; his muggle clothing was torn thanks to the curses that he got hit with. Blood was running into his eye, blinding him slightly. However, he made no move to wipe it away. What was the point? Why would it matter if some blood got into his eye? He was going to die any minute anyway.

"So, the famous Harry Potter decided to show himself," the raspy voice of Voldemort said.

Harry stood still, his stance relaxed. His wand arm wasn't raised, not yet.

"What happened to your friends? Did they get themselves killed?" asked Voldemort. His tone was slightly mocking.

Harry didn't bother to answer, although his stiffening body gave him away.

"Ah, so they did get themselves killed. Tell me, who finished them off?"

Harry didn't bother to answer. Instead, the grip on his wand tightened.

"No matter, it's just one more blood traitor and mudblood dead. They wouldn't be missed."

Harry slowly raised his wand arm, pointing it steadily at Voldemort. This was it, the moment he has been waiting for, the moment he was trained for, the moment that would bring about his freedom.

"I will enjoy killing you, Harry Potter. I shall present your corpse for all to see how their saviour had failed!" shouted Voldemort, as he swiftly raised his wand to aim at Harry.

"Avada Kedavra!"

Harry saw the bright emerald light come towards him. He didn't bother to try to dodge, or shield himself. He just stood there, waiting for the spell to hit him. He looked at Voldemort's red eyes, alight with triumph, one last time before the sharp pain of death hit him, and he fell to the floor.

* * *

The first thing Harry noticed when his consciousness surfaced was that he was no longer in pain, and his eye was no longer burning. He managed to open his eyes, and realized that he was sitting in a comfy chair. It was mostly white all around him, but the trains he recognized as they were stationed at Kings Cross Station, and then he noticed that he was seated in front of a nice cherry wood desk. He looked up, and saw the last person he wanted to see.

"Hello Harry," Professor Dumbledore said, that damn twinkle in his eye.

Harry didn't bother to answer him, as he had nothing to say, not to this man. Instead, he focused on the pathetic black blob that was located under the desk, despair radiating from it.

"You did well, Harry. You finally destroyed all of the horcruxes. All you need to do now is wish to go back, and finish him off for good," Dumbledore said, still thinking he can manipulate Harry into what he wanted him to do. However, Harry's trust of Dumbledore was broken long ago, when he had learned the truth.

"I'm sorry, Professor," Harry said hoarsely. His voice was still healing, after all. "I will not go back. I'm finished."

"But, my boy-" Dumbledore tried to say, but Harry cut him off.

"I am finished!" Harry yelled, his voice cracking. It was hard to speak, but there was no pain. Harry still had his injuries, but as he was stuck in limbo, he felt no pain.

Harry swiftly stood up, and grabbed the pathetic blob that was under the desk, clutching it to him.

"Harry, put that thing back!" shouted Dumbledore, his twinkle was starting to dim a bit in his anger.

"We all deserve second chances, Headmaster. Keeping this thing here is cruel, and I'm tired of your cruelty!" Harry said, as he walked towards the train.

Dumbledore tried to grab him, but Harry swiftly turned away from his hand. His green eyes shone brightly, a promise of retribution if he didn't get to where he wanted to go.

"Don't try to stop me, you will not like the consequences," stated Harry, his eyes glowing even more bright.

Dumbledore stepped back in fear. Even in this limbo, Harry was still formidable. His magic was still protecting him, and will continue to do so, until his ultimate death.

Harry spun back around and started walking to the train again. Harry didn't look back as he went, for he knew that Dumbledore wouldn't try to stop him. He was tired, and all he wanted was to be reunited with his family. He looked at the black blob in his arms, and as he walked onto the train, he wished that this fragmented soul would gain a second chance at happiness, as it had only know despair. Little had he known that their fates were intertwined.


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: Wow, thank you everyone that has left a review, followed, and put this story on their favorites list. I really didn't expect it. So, I managed to write another chapter pretty quickly as I was feeling inspired. I could have gone many ways with this, but I chose to do it this way. If anyone has questions, please feel free to ask. However, I may not answer because it may give away with what I have in mind.**

**Warnings: This will be an AU story.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.**

* * *

Chapter 1

The first thing Harry noticed when he woke up was that he was no longer in pain. He took that as a good sign, for it could only mean one thing. He had finally died. He felt light, weightless, as if a huge burden was suddenly lifted from his shoulders. His body felt heavy, though, and he was unable to even twitch a finger. His eyes felt as if they were glued together, as he was unable to open them. That was okay with him, though. He wouldn't mind if he stayed here forever.

"We finally meet, Harry Potter," a melodious voice said.

It was hard to pinpoint where the voice was coming from, as the sound surrounded his entire being. If he had to make a guess, it seemed as if the voice was speaking to him directly into his mind.

"You are correct, young one. I am surprised, however, as not many are this calm when I bring them here," the voice said.

Harry was confused. Was he not supposed to be here? Wasn't this the afterlife? Where were his parents? What about Remus? Sirius? Even Snape, the man that he was able to come to terms with, before he too, was killed?

"I must thank you, young one, for everything that you have done. It was very entertaining to watch. However, it is not yet your time to join the others in death. For you are wanted in another life," the voice was still melodious, but to Harry, it was his new-found despair.

He did not want to go back to the living. Hadn't he done enough for the world? He was so tired of everything; he just wanted to finally be at peace. Was that too much to ask? Obviously it was, since even in death, he wasn't able to receive the one thing that he wished for the most.

"Not exactly, you made another wish before you came here. One that I deemed fit to grant you, as you deserved a second chance at a happy life. This life, you will be happy. However, in every life brings obstacles, and inner strength will be needed to overcome them. You will not be alone this time, Harry. You will be loved," the voice said gently.

He didn't want to have a second chance! Why was it so hard to understand that? He just wanted to be reunited with those that had died for him, loved him, and sacrificed themselves for him. His inner turmoil and frustration caused moisture to gather at his sealed eyes, and tears slowly slid down his face.

"Don't cry, young one. Please trust me when I say that in your new life you will play a major role, but that will not be the only reason why I am sending you back. There, you will also be protected and loved. You have done so much already; this is my gift to you."

Harry internally sighed, as he was unable to move his mouth. It wasn't as if he had a choice in this matter. He lost that right on that Halloween night when his parents were killed. His choices were made for him, and he was to follow them without question. After this, he vowed he would no longer follow people as blindly as he had in the past. It only led to hurt, and betrayal.

"Goodbye, Harry. I will be watching over you, and don't forget one thing: nothing in this new world is as it seems," the voice said one last time, and then faded. After that, darkness overcame Harry, and he knew no more.

* * *

Sunlight was blinding him, as its rays slipped past the tears in the curtains. Harry cautiously opened his eyes, blinking away the tears that the blinding sunlight caused. He realized that he was able to move this time, so he slowly sat up in the bed. Looking around, Harry realized that he was in a shabby building, with the wallpaper peeling off, and the entire room was white. He didn't recognize this room, as he had never seen it before. It looked rundown, and bleary, as if this room had never seen the light of day.

Harry's shoulders slumped, and it was hard for him to not start crying, as he realized that the voice wasn't just a dream, and that he really wasn't dead. He was alive, and this was a new life, a life that wasn't wanted, nor appreciated at this point in time.

Harry realized that he was wearing oversized clothes, much like Dudley's old hand-me-downs. Harry slowly moved his legs to the side of the bed, and tried to stand. Why did the bed seem so high? Was it elevated?

He got the answer to his question when he noticed a mirror on the wall, near a wardrobe. What he saw surprised him, as he let out a gasp, and just stared at his reflection, disbelieving what he was seeing. Oh, he still had the same black hair, and emerald green eyes. Now, however, he looked child-like, and he was short, which irked him, because the life at the Dursley's never allowed him to get the right amount of nutrition he needed while growing up, so he only managed to get to five ft. five. His hair was shoulder length, less wild than what it was in his previous life, but he was filthy. When was the last time he took a bath? At least, glasses wouldn't be a problem for him in this life, as he was able to see very clearly without them.

There was only one thing left to check. He removed the hair that covered his forehead, and to his dismay, the lightning bolt scar was still there. How could that be? Why was his scar, when all of his other scars had disappeared, still here? There had to be some reason as to at having more questions than answers, Harry turned around so he wouldn't have to look at his reflection any longer.

It was then that the door to his shabby room made a click, and was swung open violently, crashing into the wall, and another kid, that looked older than him, appeared.

"Hadrian! Why aren't you dressed yet? You need to hurry before the Matron gets mad at you. Do you want her to get mad at you?" the kid asked rhetorically.

Hadrian stared unblinkingly at the kid for a moment. Matron? It couldn't be! He was in a bloody orphanage!

Feeling numb, Hadrian got dressed, and while he was finished, followed the kid that was beckoning him to follow. His mind was in chaos, and many questions were forming into his head, and he had no answers for them.

The kid led him to an office, which seemed like the nicest room in this run down building to him. Figures, it could only belong to the Matron of this place.

The kid knocked on the door, and then after a moment of waiting, a stern shout of "Enter!" was heard. Harry internally cringed. He had a feeling that this wasn't going to go well.

Harry entered the nice, colorful room that was covered in deep red and some gold. Harry grimaced slightly, as the room reminded him of the Gryffindor common room, back at Hogwarts. The colors would make him feel queasy after a while, and it wasn't any different now.

"You're late, Hadrian. You should already have been up and making breakfast. What were you doing?" the Matron asked, her face seemed as if it was frozen in a stern frown, her grey hair was tightly in a bun.

"Go, before I give you more chores to do, and no Supper. Quickly!" the Matron shouted.

Harry, used to his Aunt and Uncle's moods in his previous life, quickly hurried out of the room and towards what he hoped was the kitchen. It seemed he unconsciously knew where to go in this dingy place. He was thankful for small mercies.

Harry started cooking right away, as he saw that several children were already waiting for their food on cheap wooden benches in the dining area. He made something simple, and it didn't take much time to prepare. Porridge was something that was healthy for you, and you can make it for more than just one person at a time. When he was finished, he scooped it up and poured it into several bowls that was aligned on a counter so the children could come over and take one bowl for themselves. Hadrian had made enough for everyone, as there seemed to only be ten children in the kitchen.

After everyone was served, Harry served himself last, as old habits died hard. He went to go sit on a bench, however, someone that he hadn't seen coming, had intercepted him, and knocked his porridge out of his hand.

"Freaks like you aren't allowed to eat with the rest of us," the boy, who had knocked the porridge out of his hands, said haughtily.

Closing his hands into tight fists, Harry took deep breaths to calm himself down. It wouldn't do any good to get into a fight. He already deduced that he was the least favored child here, and would be treated unfairly.

It was at that moment that the Matron came into the kitchen, and saw the mess. "Hadrian, clean that up this instant. Honestly, child, cant you do anything right?" she demanded.

Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Before he went to get a towel to pick up the mess, he say the boy that had knocked the food from his hands smirk in triumph.

After he cleaned up the mess that he hadn't caused, the Matron found him and gave him a list of chores to do. She told him that if he didn't finish the list, he would go to bed without dinner, and then she promptly left. Harry looked at the long list, and closed his eyes in defeat. It seemed like bits of his past life followed him here, and to his dismay, he couldn't hold back the tears any longer, and he silently cried, like he trained himself to do in his past life. He let out a harsh laugh that turned into a sob. He was promised a better life, but he realized that he was played for a fool, as a part of him had believed those promised words. The small hope that he had managed to gain was bitterly crushed to dust.


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you all so much for reviewing and adding this story to their favs/follows. I honestly didn't think I'd get so many so soon. Here is the next chapter. I know it's a bit short, but I had to get this out of the way and it seemed like a good place to stop. I'll try to get the next chapter out soon. Someone asked me what the pairing is for this story, and I honestly don't think this one will have a pairing. No slash either. Maybe in a future story, but not this one. I hope you enjoy!  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.**

* * *

Chapter 2

A few days have passed since Harry woke up in the orphanage. He thought of running away, but knew that if he did, things could be so much worse than they are now. If he went off into the muggle world, living on the streets, there would be no way that he could control his accidental magic. Thus, in doing so, muggles might see, and could lead to many questions that Harry would not know the answers to. He wasn't sure if things here were different in comparison to his original world, but he didn't want to take that chance.

Sadly, Harry was unable to learn about the magical world while he was at the orphanage. There was no way for him to get to Diagon Alley for the moment, since the Matron decided to watch him like a hawk ever since he knocked the kid that made him spill his porridge in the kitchen unconscious, with accidental magic in his defense. There had been no witnesses, but the Matron just assumed, correctly this time, that Harry was the culprit to the incident. Harry would readily admit that he had found some sick glee in getting a little payback.

Harry made his way towards his room to get to bed for the night. He was grateful that his room wasn't a cupboard under the stairs. At least Fate gave him that much to be grateful for.

Harry closed the door silently behind him and wandlessly cast a locking charm on the doorknob so no one would be able to sneak up on him while he was sleeping. A few of his abilities came with him to this new world, and wandless magic was one of them. However, since he hadn't gone through his magical inheritance, which was sixteen for him, he was unable to have much control over his magic in general. It really irked him. He worked so hard to master wandless magic, only to be de-aged and not have any control over it.

Harry stumbled and lost his balance. He hit the floor, but managed to keep himself from face-planting into the carpet with his hands. He barely ate today, as he wasn't able to finish his long list of chores. He was also starting to feel dizzy because of his lack of nourishment. He had gotten used to this in his previous life, but Hogwarts was able to help with that in some degree. Now, Hogwarts was out of his reach, and he was unused to feeling this ill.

Harry slowly got up, and had to use the bed to keep him from falling over again. Changing into his pajamas seemed to have sapped the last of his energy, and he fell straight to sleep as his head hit the pillow.

* * *

_Harry was dreaming._

_It wasn't a normal dream, but images._

_A lightning bolt flashed._

_A snake hissed at him._

_A large, unrecognizable manor flashed into his view then disappeared._

_A man appeared, then, a man with brown hair and blue eyes. He didn't disappear, he stared at Harry, and Harry couldn't take his gaze away. He felt connected to this man, and he didn't want to look away. He wanted to keep looking at this man, as if he was afraid that he would forget him at any moment._

_The man narrowed his eyes at him, scrutinizing him, and Harry was starting to feel a bit unnerved. The gaze reminded him of something. It reminded him of pain, but that didn't make sense. This man wasn't hurting him, at least not yet._

_His eyes confused him slightly, though he had no idea why. He felt as if he were forgetting something. Something important, but the more he tried to recall it, the more it buried itself deep into his mind. _

_"Who are you?" the man demanded._

_The tone also seemed familiar to him, and he still couldn't remember. Harry was starting to get frustrated, but tried to answer the demand anyway._

_"Harry," he said._

_"What?" the man asked._

_Harry looked at him for a moment and blinked. He wondered why his answer was confusing the man. _

_"My name. It's Harry," he said again._

_The man sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Yes, I understand that part. I meant your last name."_

_Harry opened his mouth, but no words were able to form. He wasn't able to speak, and he realized why he couldn't say anything. He wasn't sure what his last name was. Looking at the man, he tried to bring the man's focus on a different topic of conversation._

_"What's your name?" Harry asked instead._

_The man smirked at him, as if knowing what Harry was trying to do and decided to indulge him._

_"My name is-" the man tried to say, but before he was able to, the man disappeared._

* * *

Harry woke with a gasp. He was drenched in sweat, and felt as if he just ran a marathon. His rest hadn't helped with his fatigue; instead it seemed to have sucked more energy out of him.

_Just who was that man?_ Harry wondered to himself.

Not knowing the answers and feeling exhausted, Harry unwillingly slipped back into a dreamless sleep.


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hello everyone! Thank you all for the lovely reviews. Now, a few things to explain. During Harry's dream with Tom, Harry doesn't recognize him as he only saw Tom with his actual body when he was twelve, and Tom was sixteen. The Tom in his dream was much older, and Harry was pretty out of it, so he hasn't realized that Tom was in his dream. He isn't losing his memories from his past life. The new world he is in is different from his previous one. He doesn't know his last name, since the Matron called him Hadrian, which wasn't his name in his previous life. So, Harry only knows his first name in this new world. Hope that explains some of it.**

**Warnings: OOC, AU, angst.**

_"Dreaming"_

Chapter 3

The sun through the window curtain brought Harry from sleep. As he woke up blind, he vowed to get curtains that didn't have holes for his window, and set the old ones on fire. Feeling a little better from planning the death of his curtains, Harry tried to get up out of bed. However, Harry's body felt sluggish, and his arms weren't able to support him. His breathing was uneven, coming out in short gasps.

_Great, _he thought, _this is the worst place to be sick. I hope the locking charm will keep working._

Slowly, Harry fell asleep, but it was far from peaceful.

* * *

_"Headmaster, you called for us?" asked a female voice._

_"Ah, Hermione, Ron, come in, come in. Lemon Drop?" Dumbledore asked, gesturing for them to take a seat._

_Both of them declined politely and sat. Hermione was anxious, and she was hoping that the Headmaster would accept their proposal. _

_"Headmaster, have you thought about our proposal?" asked Hermione._

_At the mention of the proposal, Dumbledore's eyes twinkled brightly. "Ah, yes. It is a very interesting proposal. I shall get started on it right away."_

_Both Ron and Hermione let out a relieved sigh and smiled at each other. After Harry defeats Voldemort, then everything, including himself, will be theirs. Dumbledore agreed to using a compulsion potion on Harry, along with a love potion in order for Ginny to marry Harry. They knew that Sirius named Harry his heir as Harry told them himself, so they sought a way to get Sirius out of the way in order to get that money as well. So they came up with a plan, and baited Sirius to come to the Department of Mysteries by manipulating Snape. It worked out so well, and Bellatrix finished off the job._

_Now, they just need Harry to marry Ginny, and add them to his will. Then, they would get rid of him, and all of his power and fortune would belong to them. _

It has been so easy to manipulate Harry, _thought Hermione, _Using his weakness for love against him.

_"Headmaster, have you thought of a way to get rid of Harry after Voldemort?" Ron asked._

_The Headmaster ran his fingers through his beard, in thought. Dumbledore then grabbed a box from one of his desk drawers, and placed it on top of the desk for both Hermione and Ron to see._

_"This," said Dumbledore, as he opened the box, "is what will be used on Harry."_

_Dumbledore then brought out two silver cuffs with runes etched onto them. The cuffs had their own beauty, however, you could also sense strong Dark Magic surrounding them. Both Hermione and Ron froze up in fear. They didn't want to be anywhere near those cuffs, as the sinister magic surrounding them was making the air thin, and it became hard to breathe._

_Dumbledore placed the cuffs back into the box, and placed it back into the drawer and locked it._

_"What were those?" asked Hermione, eyes wide._

_"Those were magical binding cuffs. If the wearer has them on their wrists long enough, it will drain their magic and will turn the bearer into a Squib. These will be placed on Harry until his magic gets drained, and then he will be tossed into the muggle world. Without the use of his magic, fortune, or any help, it will only be a matter of time before he dies on the streets," explained Dumbledore, his twinkle shining madly._

_Hermione and Ron agreed to the idea, and couldn't wait for the time to come to gain everything that belonged to Harry. However, unbeknownst to them, Harry was there, listening to every word that was said, with his father's gift that he received during his first year at Hogwarts, the Invisibility Cloak._

* * *

The office was warm, as a fire was burning brightly. The room was well furnished, and many paintings were hung on the wall. Whoever owned this office had quite a bit of money to spend. However, the room was simple, with only a few armchairs that surrounded the fire, along with a single couch. The desk itself was a dark mahogany, and the chairs in front of the desk weren't just a simple wooden chair with a cushion. They were chairs that were made with care, and were also built for comfort. The chair behind the desk was leather, and had a man sitting in it, pondering something that he just couldn't keep his mind off of.

Tom was supposed to be doing paperwork. However, a distraction of the dream he had with the back-haired, green-eyed child kept his focus from it. He was supposed to be looking at the orphanages that were in dire need of money, so he could help sponsor them. Tom was a great many things, and being rich and powerful was only a part of the larger picture. He had helped many muggle orphanages in the past, as he had hoped that he would be helping a magical child that was among them. Tom knew that the chances were slim, but he never wanted a magical child to go through the same things he went through as a child in an orphanage, so he did everything he could.

Tom felt a strange presence in the back of his mind, and he tried to reach out to the familiar presence. However, something kept preventing him from doing so, and Tom was starting to get frustrated. The connection made itself known only a week ago, and Tom has yet to find out what that connection is.

There was a knock on his office door, and then a middle-aged woman walked in, wearing a dull grey dress. So, this was the Matron from St. Gabriel's Orphanage. He wanted to meet with her in order to determine if she met the requirements for a donation.

"My Lord Riddle, thank you for meeting with me," said the Matron, with a large smile on her face, showing her decaying teeth.

Tom prevented himself from cringing at the sight, and gestured for her to sit down in one of the chairs.

"Thank you, Matron, for arriving so quickly. This shouldn't take too long," Tom hoped.

"No problem at all, My Lord. Here are the papers that you asked for, along with a statement of our finances," the Matron said, as she slid the papers over to Tom.

Tom looked over them, taking his time to make sure everything was in order. Tom saw that there were only ten children living at this orphanage, and that the money that they had for the children was extremely low. That was odd, and Tom narrowed his eyes at it. Something seemed off about this orphanage. How could they have so little money, as they should be doing some fundraising for themselves, unless the Matron was spending the money secretly?

Deciding to follow a hunch, Tom accepted the papers and said, "Well, everything seems to be in order. I'll have someone drop by the orphanage with the money tomorrow. Thank you, Matron, and I hope this money will help your children out in the future."

The Matron smiled another awful smile, curtsied, and left. After waiting a few minutes to make sure the Matron was truly out of his office, Tom summoned his snake Patronus, and sent it with a message to come to his office straight away. A few minutes later, a regal looking blonde man with a cane entered Tom's office and bowed with respect.

"Was there something you needed, My Lord?" the blonde man asked.

"Yes, Lucius, there is something that I would like for you to do..."

**Disclaimer: Still don't own Harry Potter, and never will.**


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hello, everyone! Thank you for all of your lovely reviews. This chapter was hard to write in the beginning, but then it just flowed near the end. I hope you all like this new chapter, and thank you for reading! Also, forgive me if I used the wrong tenses, I've been sick, and may have missed a few incorrect ones.**

**P.S: Alice, your review made me laugh, :p**

**Warnings: AU, OOC, Angst**

* * *

Chapter 4

Lucius Malfoy was standing outside of St. Gabriel's Orphanage, his cane was held loosely in his right hand. He did not want to be there, but he would do anything that Tom asked him to do. He would always be loyal to Tom, after everything the man did for him and his family. The Matron was waiting for him in the entrance hall, and Lucius was able to contain his sneer at the orphanage, which looked like a dump.

Suddenly, Lucius was swarmed by nine children, some of them were tugging on his robes insistently, with the Matron standing off to the side with a gleam in her eye. She was most likely hoping that Lucius would adopt one of the children. She probably thought that if Lucius adopted one of them, Lucius would send her money as a "thank you for taking care of this child before I adopted it" gift. Lucius would never give money to this harpy.

Lucius was used to getting mobbed, especially by the press, but children were a different story. He counted nine of the little menaces surrounding him.

"Sorry, children, but not today," Lucius said.

Several of the children said, "Awww," and then they went back to their playing, as it was playtime in the orphanage right now.

The Matron flashed a look of disappointment but quickly hid it by one of her awful smiles. Lucius was able to keep himself from cringing, and vowed to get Tom back by sending him to this disgusting muggle place.

"I'm sorry about the children," the Matron said, "but they get excited whenever someone new comes into the orphanage. They believe they will get adopted. If you will please follow me up to my office, we can get down to business."

Lucius followed the Matron to the second floor office, and sneered at the sight while the Matron's back was turned. This was the best furnished looking place in the entire orphanage. Tom's assumptions seemed to be correct about the Matron hoping to gain money from them for selfish reasons.

Lucius sat in the chair in front of the desk where the paperwork was laid out. He read that there were supposedly ten children that lived here, but he only counted nine that swarmed him. Something felt wrong, but Lucius wasn't sure what it was. He hoped that it was nothing, but the feeling that something was wrong kept nagging at him.

"It says that there are ten children here, but I only saw nine. Where is the other child?" Lucius asked the Matron, dreading the answer.

The Matron looked worried for just a split second, but quickly masked her expression. "He was adopted a few days ago by a loving family. I haven't had the time to change the documentation."

Lucius inwardly scoffed at her explanation that was an obvious lie, but there wasn't anything that he could do about it at this point.

Just then, an ear-piercing scream echoed throughout the entire orphanage. Lucius paused, quickly stood up and followed the scream, hoping to find its source.

He came upon a bedroom door, and tried to turn the doorknob, which turned out to be locked. The Matron tried to stop Lucius from trying to unlock the door, but he was getting fed up with the Matron. Lucius quickly pulled out his wand from his cane, and stunned her. The Matron fell with a loud thump, though Lucius paid her no mind. None of the other children came running, so either the children hadn't heard, which was doubtful, or they were used to it and hadn't cared about the scream.

Lucius cast Alohomora on the doorknob, and swung the door open. What he saw caused him to pause in his step, and his eyes widened in shock. There on the bed was a dirty child, maybe around eight years old, possibly younger. It was hard to tell, as the child was in bad shape.

However, that wasn't the only thing that caught Lucius' attention. He also saw that the curtains suddenly caught on fire. This child had magic! He was angry at the Matron in trying to hide this child here, where he was obviously treated with abuse. Tom was going to reign hell on this place, and that thought caused Lucius to shiver slightly in fear. Getting on Tom's bad side was never a good thing, and sometimes it ended in a painful death.

Unable to do anything for the boy himself, Lucius summoned his tiger Patronus to give a message to Tom, and to have him and Severus come to St. Gabriel's Orphanage as soon as they can, as a magical child was obviously in pain, and may be dying. Lucius only hoped that they got here in time.

* * *

After Lucius had left, Tom sat back in his desk chair with his head in his hands. He groaned in frustration, as he still wasn't able to get into contact with the child from his dreams. He felt some sort of connection to that child, and felt that this connection was something that was important. There was a knock on his office door, and then a tall lanky man entered.

"Hey, Severus, what are you up to?" Tom asked, knowing that Severus was experimenting with some sort of potion. He just hoped that Severus wouldn't blow up his house.

"Another failure, Tom; I need to find a more stabilized base, or else it will keep failing," Severus said, and then he sighed.

Severus had been working on this potion for several days, hoping that his success would help werewolves change at will, and not be forced to change during the full moon. The potion was far from a success, but Severus had been even more persistent with getting his potion correct; despite Tom's house being in danger of being blown to smithereens.

"I'm sure you will figure it out. You are my Potions Master, after all," Tom said.

"That makes me feel so much better," Severus said, as he rolled his eyes heavenward.

"Now, now, Severus, don't be so grumpy. Would you like a drink?"

"Only you would drink during the afternoon, Tom," replied Severus, with a smirk on his lips.

"Yeah, and I wonder whose fault it is," Tom asked rhetorically.

"It isn't because of all of those dunderheads at Hogwarts?" Severus answered with his own question.

"Hmm, that may be part of it, but I believe it's because Dumbledore has been trying to gain information on me. Although, it seems he hasn't been successful," Tom said, with a knowing look at Severus. Severus was Tom's spy, and he was doing a great job hindering Dumbledore without him knowing. Tom had a feeling that things were going to get even more hectic soon.

"Well, it's a good thing he hasn't found-" Severus started to say, but he was cut off as a familiar Patronus came into the room.

"Tom, I'm hoping that Severus is there as well. Something unexpected has come up, and I need both of you to come to St. Gabriel's Orphanage. Oh, and Severus, bring your potions kit with you!" the Patronus quickly dissolved after it gave its message.

Severus quickly grabbed his potions kit, and grabbed onto Tom's arm for apparition, as he had no idea where this orphanage was, so Tom had to apparate them.

They quickly ran to where they felt Lucius' magical signature was, and locked the door behind them, as they passed curious children and a stunned Matron.

What Tom saw on the bed made him stop in his tracks. That child! This was the child that he had been looking for.

Tom quickly strode to the boy's bedside, and said, "Harry."

Harry opened his eyes slightly, and looked at Tom. He smiled a small smile, and quickly lost consciousness.

Both Severus and Lucius looked at each other, wondering the same thing: just who was this child, and how did Tom know him?


	6. Chapter Five

**He guys, sorry it's been a while. I've been having writer's block. It sucks, and I apologize for the wait, and I'm sorry that it's a bit short. It's a bit of a filler chapter, and hopefully things will get more interesting after this, but I'm not guaranteeing anything. Hope you all enjoy this short chapter anyway, and let me know what you think!**

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Chapter 5

Tom was kneeling beside the bed, gently stroking Harry's hair. He was inwardly seething. How dare they do this to a child! He knew that both Severus and Lucius were shocked by his display of affection. He wasn't a caring man most of the time, unless you were one of the rare few that managed to get passed his cold exterior, and see him for who he truly was.

He rarely allowed himself to get close to others. His childhood taught him that most people didn't care about anyone but themselves. When he got hurt, no one bothered to care, no one asked him if he needed any help. The orphanage was Hell. He wasn't sure how else to describe it. He had his magic to protect him, but sometimes that wasn't enough.

Harry was similar to him in so many ways. He felt connected to this child, and caring for him felt so natural that he didn't bother to question it. Protecting Harry was something that he wanted to do, so that he would never have to experience this type of abuse ever again. Tom knew that he couldn't protect him from everything, but he knew that he would do everything in his power to give him a good childhood because he never wanted Harry to have a childhood that he was deprived of.

Severus got over his shock at Tom showing affection to this child, and grabbed a fever reducer. He fed Harry the potion, gently massaging his throat so he would swallow them. Harry whimpered, but he didn't wake up. The poor child must be pain, but hopefully the potion would kick in soon so his fever would go down.

This child, Harry, looked so young. How could anyone do this to a child? The Matron was going to have an angry Tom after her. Hell, even he and Lucius were going to make her pay, because she was a monster in their eyes.

Lucius stared at Tom, not quite sure if he believed what he was seeing. Tom rarely tolerated others, especially children. Lucius thought it was because Tom was unsure how to act around children, and he knew that whenever a child was afraid of him it hurt Tom on a deep level, but he hid it well. He did work at Hogwart's after all, but he knew that Tom cared. He could tell that Tom cared deeply about Draco, and Draco was one of the few rare children that wasn't afraid to get close to Tom. Draco even asked Tom to read him bedtime stories, and to play children's games with him. Lucius would sometimes feel a bit jealous when Draco had Tom play with him or read to him, but he knew that Tom was secretly happy whenever Draco asked him to do those things, so his jealousy slowly disappeared.

"We should take him back to the manor, and call a medic. I can only give him a fever reducer as I'm not entirely sure what is wrong with him," said Severus.

"I agree, but what will we do about that horrid woman?" Lucius asked, gesturing to the door, where Matron was still stunned.

"We'll take her with us to make sure she never harms another child," Tom said coldly.

Lucius looked to Severus who was glaring daggers at the door. Sighing, Lucius went to go retrieve the Matron.

"What about the other children here?" Severus asked.

Tom knew that he shouldn't hold a grudge against children. It was difficult, because these children reminded him of the children that bullied him while he was at the orphanage. Tom let out a quiet sigh and said, "Take them to one of our orphanages, the living conditions are better there, and the staff that are in charge of those orphanage's actually care about the children first and foremost."

Severus couldn't prevent a scowl that formed on his face. He disliked dealing with children, and he saw Tom was looking at him with some amusement. Glaring at him, Severus spun around and left the room with his robes billowing behind him. Tom hoped that Severus wouldn't traumatize those children; he traumatized enough of them at Hogwarts.

Still stroking Harry's hair through his fingers, Tom looked at Harry's sweating face. Harry looked so fragile, but he knew that Harry had fire. He saw that aspect of this child's personality in his dream. What he didn't understand was why he saw him in a dream to begin with. Just how was he connected to this child?

Tom was asking himself that question when he brushed Harry's bangs away from his forehead and saw a scar that looked like a lightning bolt. Tom's breathing stopped and his eyes widened in surprise.

It just couldn't be...

Could it?

* * *

**So I just revised this chapter so it will have less errors. I'll be going through my previous chapters as well. Enjoy!**


	7. Chapter 6

**Hello everyone! Thank you so much for your reviews! They make me inspired to write. Anyway, here is the next chapter, which I hope you guys enjoy. So, is Tom Voldemort in this story? Well, remember that before Tom was reborn along with Harry, he was a fragmented soul. Which latched onto Harry during Voldemort's prime while he went to go kill the Potter's. However, Tom's piece of soul was attached to Harry, and Harry is a very kind and forgiving person. So I like to think that Tom will also show kindness, and forgiveness towards those he cares about (he's not very forgiving towards those he doesn't consider important ex: the matron), so how Tom is the way he is now in this story? Well, it's all because of Harry. I hope that answered the question as whether or not Tom is Voldemort, and I'm sorry if it only confuses you more because it's not a very detailed explanation that shouldn't be in an a/n. So if you have anymore questions please feel free to PM me. Also, I'm sorry about the false update as it was just me being dumb and trying to revise this story. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy and I'll be shutting up now. XD**

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter and I never ever will.

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Chapter 6

Severus was standing in the middle of the room, surrounded by several children. They all formed a circle around him, which prevented his escape from the little menaces. He was going to kill Tom the next time he saw him, and it would be very painful. Extremely painful, and Severus would take pleasure from torturing Tom, as he was surely being tortured right this very minute.

While Severus was contemplating on how he was going to torture Tom, one of the little devils decided to yank on his robe.

Barely managing to keep his sneer and utter contempt off his face, Severus looked down at the menace that dared to touch him.

"Do you want to play?" the little boy asked, tugging on Severus' robe some more.

Before he managed to speak, another child started yanking on his robe as well.

"Well, well? Will you?" the other child asked, and Severus knew that he was making puppy eyes at him. Too bad it didn't work. Severus was totally immune.

"Please play with us!" another child asked in the crowd.

The other children started to yell out "please" and "play" and it was enough to give Severus a headache.

_I am going to kill you Tom,_ thought Severus viciously.

* * *

Lucius magically bound the disgusting woman. Thankfully she was still stunned, or he would have most likely been subject to loud screaming or vulgar profanities. He grabbed the stunned woman, and apparated to Tom's dungeons. He carelessly tossed the matron to the ground, and locked the cell door. He hoped that she would rot here for a long time, and then maybe she would feel what it was like for Harry. He left the dungeons quickly, as he didn't want to stay in the same room as that filth.

"Lucius?" a voice asked.

Lucius spun around and saw Narcissa, a questioning look on her face.

"What is wrong?" she asked, while approaching him.

Sighing, Lucius ran a hand through his hair. Narcissa narrowed her eyes, as she knew that her husband was stressed about something.

"I must leave, but please call a medic over while I'm gone. Once I come back with Severus and Tom, it won't be pretty," Lucius told her.

Worried, Narcissa asked, "Why? What happened?"

"I can't really explain right now, as I must hurry. When we come back, you will understand why I am asking you to call a medic, and it is something that I wish had never happened," Lucius calmly explained, even though he felt far from being calm.

Narcissa's eyes widened. Whatever this was, it must be really bad if Lucius was acting like this.

"Very well, I will call a medic now. Please, be careful, Lucius," Narcissa told him and then swiftly left to call a medic over.

Lucius sighed one last time before he apparated back to the orphanage.

* * *

Lucius appeared at the orphanage, and after this he hoped that he would never see this place again.

Following the noise of children, Lucius opened the door and froze at what he saw.

Severus, what are you doing?" Lucius asked, trying to hold in his laughter but was failing miserably.

There he was, holding one child underneath an arm, and another one over his shoulder. Severus' expression had fury written all over it. "I am plotting Tom's demise," Severus stated very seriously.

That one sentence was the end to Lucius' control, and he laughed uproariously. Truly, Severus looked like a poor babysitter that didn't know what to do with so many kids, which made sense, as Severus couldn't stand children to begin with and had little experience on how to deal with them. He was awkward around small children and way out of his comfort zone. He may be Head of Slytherin, and he cared deeply about his snakes, but they rarely went to him for comfort. Now Severus was trying to deal with several small children at once, and he had no idea on how to take care of them.

This was a priceless moment for Lucius. He was going to put this memory in his pensieve. Without Severus knowing, he wasn't suicidal.

Lucius quickly and swiftly casted a mild sleeping spell at the children. One by one they slowly fell asleep, and the children in Severus' arms went limp. Severus sighed in relief, and placed the sleeping children on the floor.

"I will call a staff member at one of our orphanages to come pick these children up. I'll let them know that they should bring a van so they would only have to make one trip here and back," stated Severus, as he was the one who actually knew how to use a phone.

* * *

Sometime later, after the staff member came to pick the children up, who was surprised that the children were so well behaved and sleeping, which Severus snorted at, and drove the children to their new temporary home.

"Let's go get Tom and let him know that the children were safely brought to the other orphanage, and to tell him that the disgusting woman is in his dungeons," stated Lucius, and then walked along with Severus to the room where Harry and Tom were located.

Once they entered the room, they saw Tom in the same position that he was at last time. He was still gently stroking Harry's hair, but he had a sad look on his face. Both Severus and Lucius were shocked at his expression, as he rarely expressed those types of feelings, because he believed that they were a form of weakness.

"Tom?" Lucius asked.

Tom schooled his features and stood up. He then shook his head saying, "I'll explain later. Did you get rid of that sorry excuse for a matron, and get the children to the other orphanage?"

"Yes, everything has been taken care of," stated Severus, no longer wishing to murder Tom in his sleep, as the expression that he saw on Tom's face was good enough for his punishment.

"Very well, let's take Harry home," Tom said, and gently scooped the child up.

Harry whimpered at the movement in obvious pain, but he didn't wake up. Tom just winced and grimaced because he was the one to cause Harry the pain, although unintentionally.

Tom nodded to them and Lucius along with Severus apparated back to Riddle manor.

Tom glanced down at Harry in worry, hoping that apparating with him wouldn't cause him anymore harm.

Softly, Tom said, "Don't worry, Harry. You're finally coming home," and with a swift, but gentle half-spin with his feet, Tom apparated both he and Harry home.


	8. Chapter 7

**Hello everyone! Thank you so much for all of your reviews and support! Sorry to keep you guys waiting, and I hope you enjoy this new chapter.**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own Harry Potter, blah blah blah. **

**Warnings: Angst? I think that's pretty much it.**

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Chapter 7

Tom landed in the entrance hall with Harry in his arms. He looked down at the unconscious child to make sure that no negative effects happened to him from apparating. Harry looked far from peaceful, but there were no noticeable side effects. Letting out a sigh of relief, Tom quickly made his way upstairs to meet up with Lucius, Severus, and hopefully a medic. Narcissa was the one that was waiting for him in front of a bedroom that was opened, with voices lowly talking to one another.

Seeing the boy being carried in Tom's arms, Narcissa's eyes couldn't help but widen in surprise. The poor child looked like death warmed over!

Narcissa quickly rushed inside the room, which promptly stopped the talking, and lowered the bed covers for the child.

"Place him here, Tom," Narcissa said, and stepped out of the way for her lord.

Tom gently lowered Harry onto the bed, and turned toward the mediwizard that was in the room.

"Heal him," Tom demanded.

The man quickly scurried over the Harry's bedside and withdrew his wand to check the child. Tom was watching with intent eyes, making sure that nothing bad was going to happen to Harry.

Lucius was standing next to Narcissa, his hand was gently placed on her arm, in a rare public display of comfort. Narcissa relaxed at the small gesture from her husband, and stood up straighter. She was going to support these people around her, and Merlin help anyone that would ever harm this child.

Tom was still staring intently at the mediwizard and Harry, hoping that things would be okay. He wasn't sure how to tell others how Tom was connected to Harry. It was already complicated enough for him to have a hard time understanding, so how would the others react? He wasn't worried about the people in this room; he was worried about his enemies. How was he supposed to protect Harry from all those who wished him harm? He wasn't sure of the answer yet, but he would find a solution, even if that meant locking Harry inside his manor. Oh, he was sure that Harry would hate that, but when it came to his safety, he would do anything to keep him safe.

An hour later, the mediwizard was done checking Harry, and turned to Tom.

"I found a few broken bones that were healed incorrectly, so I'm going to have to reset those. Also, I found several bruises, most likely from him being hit, and he is also severely malnourished. This child has been neglected and abused for a very long time, and I will leave you some potions that will help with the malnourishment and for pain. I'll leave a balm for his bruises to help them fade faster. I will reset the bones now," the mediwizard explained. Sensing Tom's next question, he answered, "Don't worry, he won't feel me resetting his bones into the correct place, I gave him something that would make him sleep peacefully for a few hours at least."

Tom nodded, and made himself watch the mediwizard do what needed to be done. He wouldn't look away, as he had promised that he would protect Harry. He had to make sure that everything was going to be alright.

Severus, Lucius, and Narcissa watched as well. They wanted to support Tom and this child, so they wouldn't look away.

Severus knew that he was going to be in charge of brewing the potions for this small child. He wouldn't allow any other to do it. He felt somehow connect to this innocent being, and he was going to make sure that this child fully healed. He wouldn't trust others with this task, and he was going to demand that Tom let him brew the potions for Harry, and he wouldn't take no for an answer.

Lucius and Narcissa watched Harry, and they also vowed that they would protect this child. Perhaps Draco would get along with Harry, and they would be friends. Draco may be selfish, but he was also loyal to those that he deemed worthy.

Not much time had passed until the mediwizard was done. He placed a few vials of various colored potions on the bedside table, and turned to Tom.

"Make him drink these when he wakes up and after he eats. They will help with his pain, and his malnourishment. If you need me for anything, feel free to contact me at St. Mungo's, and ask for James."

"Thank you, James, for helping Harry. I will ask for you if I need anything," Tom said with gratitude clearly in his voice. "Narcissa, if you would please escort James to the floo for me," Tom asked and demanded at the same time.

Narcissa gave Tom a slight nod and turned to Healer James, "If you would please follow me," she told James, and led him from the room to the floo that was in the living room.

Severus glared at Tom for a few moments, and then strode from the room. Tom couldn't help but smile slightly, as he knew what Severus was going to do and he was thankful. Tom looked over at Lucius, and waited for him to speak.

"If I may," began Lucius, "I think I will bring Draco here in a few days. Maybe Harry will enjoy the company of someone his age, and I think Draco will benefit from Harry as well."

Tom nodded and said, "I think that is a good idea, Lucius. I hope Draco and Harry will become friends as well."

Lucius nodded in thanks, and walked out of the room to go and find his wife to tell her his plans. He knew that she would agree, because he could tell that she cared for Harry as well.

Tom was alone with Harry now, and he walked closer to the child's bedside to gently stroke Harry's hair. He saw the lightning bolt shaped scar and quietly whispered to Harry, "I may not be the nicest man, Harry, but I will never raise my hand, or wand, against you. I'm glad that Lucius and Narcissa are here, in case I ever need advice. However, I promise you this, I will be a loving and caring father, Harry, and Merlin knows that I will do everything in my power to keep you safe. This is my vow."


	9. Chapter 8

**Hello everyone and I'm so sorry that this is late, but I've been extremely busy with transferring to a different university and getting a part-time job. Thank you all so much for your support and reviews, it really makes me keep on wanting to write. To answer a few of your questions, I'm not sure if the Mediwizard James is James Potter, it's an interesting thought but something that isn't set in stone. Another thing. This is an AU, and this Tom in this world was Harry's horcrux in the previous one, but remember when Harry made that wish in the prologue? Yeah, Fate decided that Harry and Horcrux Tom deserved another chance at happiness, so no Tom doesn't know that Harry was a horcrux as he doesn't have any memories of his "past life". Time is a fickle thing, and Tom is obviously older than Harry, even though they both passed on at the same time. Hope this clears a few things up! Enjoy and thanks for reading!**

* * *

Harry came to consciousness slowly, feeling better than he had in ages. He slowly opened his eyes, and realized that wherever he was, it was dark. He couldn't be in his cupboard, since he was lying on the most comfortable bed he had only dreamed of having. He managed to sit up, but doing so seemed to have sapped most of his energy. He remembered being in his awful room at the orphanage trying to overcome his sickness. Showing weakness at that place would have gotten him into even more trouble, and the kids could have seriously hurt him if that evil matron didn't get to him first. After that, he couldn't remember a thing. What if he got adopted (more like sold) to some shady person that would treat him worse than the Dursley's?

Deciding that he couldn't stay here in case he was in enemy territory, he slowly moved his legs to the side of the bed and used the bed's banister to heft himself onto his feet and off the bed. Trying to breathe through his dizziness, Harry slowly let go of the banister and took a step forward without managing to face plant into the ground. He suddenly heard soft footsteps approaching his room. Panicking, Harry glanced around the room to find a place to hide. He saw the armoire and quickly moved, only falling once but managed to pick himself up off the floor quickly with sheer determination, Harry quickly flung open the armoire and quickly climbed in, shutting the doors as quietly as he could only leaving it slightly opened so he could see what was going on.

The door quietly opened, as if the person didn't want to make too much noise. The dark silhouette moved to the side of the once occupied bed, and dropped whatever it was that the person was holding, and quickly left the room. Harry let out a breath that he hadn't realize that he was holding, and tried to relax. He wasn't sure when more people would arrive, so he decided to wait in the armoire until he would be able to escape. Escape to where, he wasn't sure, but he knew that anywhere would be better than here.

He heard a different set of footsteps this time, one that reminded him of someone in his previous life but he wasn't able to place it. The door opened again but this time with more force than Harry believed was necessary. Harry could only make out the silhouette of the person, a man he assumed but wasn't sure if he was correct in his assumption. The silhouette knelt down to look under the bed, but not finding whatever it was that the silhouette was looking for, it then moved over to another door that Harry hadn't seen when he was trying to find a place to hide. Not too long after the silhouette entered through the door, it came back into the room and slowly made its way to the armoire. Harry held his breath, and prayed that the being wouldn't open the door. Sadly, his praying went unanswered as the armoire doors were slowly opened and the silhoutte's hands reached inside, grabbing Harry under his arms while Harry managed not to flinch away. The being breathed out a sigh of what sounded like relief, but surely that couldn't be possible!

The silhoutte carried him like someone would a child, and Harry couldn't remember if anyone had held him this way. Well, he knew that James and Lily must have when they were still alive, but he couldn't remember them. He only remembered that fateful and terrible night, as he still dreamt of his mother's screams and his father's voice telling Lily to take Harry and go.

The silhouette sat with Harry on the bed, and gently rubbed circles into Harry's back, trying to comfort him as though the silhouette knew that Harry was scared.

_Of course it knows! You were only hiding in the armoire!_ Harry scolded himself inside his mind.

Harry slowly relaxed and leaned into the touch, trying to soak up enough affection to last him for a while because he wasn't sure when the next time this would happen and wanted it to last for a while. However, it ended way too soon for Harry, and the silhouette wrapped his arm over his waist so he wouldn't fall to the floor when he leaned over to turn the lamp on.

Harry's eyes watered for a few minutes as his eyes were trying to get used to the light.

"There now, feeling better? You had quite the scare, though there is no reason to fear," a deep voice said.

Harry froze, as he thought he would never hear this voice again. It couldn't be! He was there, he saw him die!

Not believing his ears, Harry slowly lifted his head to look at the man that was holding him so gently and with such affection that this must all be a dream. A dream that he wished he wouldn't wake up from.

Harry's eyes widened, as the man that was holding him was the man that protected him and risked his life for him, was none other than Severus Snape.


	10. Chapter 9

**Thank you guys so much for your reviews, likes, and favs. It truly means a lot, and sorry that this chapter is short, but I'm trying to figure out just where I want to take this story. I'm glad you guys are enjoying this story, and I hope you enjoy this chapter. Thank you guys for reading, and enjoy this chapter that focuses on Harry and Severus again. Tom will either show up in the next chapter or the one after that. **

**Disclaimer: Do I really need to keep doing these? *Sigh* Fine. I don't own Harry Potter.**

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Chapter 9

Harry was quite embarrassed to admit that once he saw the face of his old professor, he started to cry. He tried to contain his tears and stop himself from sobbing but it seemed the harder he tried to suppress his emotions, the harder he cried. He would have laughed at his old professor's shocked and fearful expression if he wasn't currently crying his heart out. It seemed that Professor Snape managed to get a hold of himself pretty quickly since he started to slowly rub Harry's back in small circles like he was doing just a few minutes ago.

"You're okay, Harry. There's no reason to cry. You're safe now," Professor Snape said softly.

The words only made Harry cry harder, almost to the point where he was gasping for air. He was finally safe, after seventeen years of hardship, pain, betrayal, and utter hopelessness. He never imagined that he would finally feel safe, protected, and perhaps even cared for. He was so happy to see Professor Snape again, even though he was in an alternate reality, and this man may not be _his_ Professor Snape from his original world, but it didn't matter. All that mattered was that Harry was with someone he could trust.

Several minutes passed, and Harry was able to get his emotions under control. He finally managed to stop crying and his breathing became easier.

"Better?" Professor Snape asked.

Harry answered him by nodding his head against his ex-professor's chest, too embarrassed to actually answer verbally.

Harry felt himself gently being lifted off of Snape's lap and placed back onto the bed against his pillows. He didn't want the man to let go of him, and he suddenly missed the closeness and warmth that the man was giving him just a few moments ago, but made no outward sign of his distress.

"I'm sure you're starving as those blasted muggles didn't feed you properly so wait here while I go grab you something light to eat, as heavy food would only make you sick at this point until your stomach gets used to actually being fed. Don't move," he said in a stern but gentle voice as he swiftly got up and left the room.

Harry watched Snape leave and realized that he was quite hungry. He couldn't remember when he had an actual meal, and was eagerly waiting for the man to bring him actual food and not the moldy pieces of bread that he managed to steal that made him quite sick after eating them.

Harry wasn't sure how long he was waiting until Professor Snape tfinally came back but it seemed like a long time to him as he was starving and was quite impatient while waiting. Harry smelled the food first, and it made his mouth water. He couldn't stop himself from eyeballing the bowl that Professor Snape had. Harry was so fixated on the food that he missed Professor Snape's brief look of sadness that crossed his face.

"Alright Harry, I can tell that you're eagerly waiting to eat but I must warn you to eat slowly so that you won't make yourself sick," the man said before handing Harry the bowl of what turned out to be a bowl of broth. Harry didn't care, it still smelled divine to him. Heeding his ex-professor's words, Harry drank the broth slowly even though he wanted to gulp it down all in one go. After he finished, he was sad because he still wanted more even though his stomach was already heavy and full. Suddenly, his eyes became heavy and he was trying to fight off the sudden exhaustion.

Professor Snape seemed to have noticed Harry's tiredness and walked swiftly to Harry's bedside.

"Don't go to sleep yet, Harry. I need you to drink these for me now. They won't taste pleasant but I promise you that they will make you feel better."

Harry inwardly groaned as Professor Snape handed him the potion vials that he knew was going to taste like old socks and Merlin knows what else. It seemed that in no matter what universe he was in, he could never get away from drinking nasty potions.

It seemed that Harry's face showed his reluctance as Severus took a vial, uncorked it, and held it up to Harry's lips to drink. Making a face, Harry drank the potion with little resistance and he only slightly gagged after drinking it all. Sadly, this happened a few more times and was glad that it was finally over and done with.

"You'll need to take these again every morning after breakfast, and also before bedtime every day until you get better," Snape said, and Harry was unable to suppress the whimper that escaped him. Potions were out to get him, he just knew it!

Harry was brought out of his thoughts when he felt a hand on his head and his hair was gently brushed from his forehead. Letting out a content sigh, Harry was starting to lose the battle against sleep, and finally laid down, exhaustion lulling him into slumber.

"Good night, Harry," was the last thing he heard until he finally fell into a peaceful sleep.


	11. Chapter 10

**Hello everyone! Thank you so much for all of the reviews, favs, and follows! They make me really happy. Thanks for patiently waiting for this chapter, I've been having a hard time writing this because writer's block is evil. I hope you all enjoy!**

**Also, someone asked me a question about pairings. Well, I have none planned so far besides Lucius and Narcissa, but their relationship won't be a huge focus. Whether they're the only canon pairing or not, I'm not entirely sure. Hope this cleared things up a bit.**

**Warnings: AU, OOC**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own Harry Potter. JK Rowling does.**

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Chapter 10

Harry woke up confused, and for a few brief moments he wasn't sure where he was. All he knew was that he was no longer in any pain, which was odd because he was always in pain. Whether it was from sickness or from abuse, the pain was always consistent and seemed to never go away. Harry sighed in relief and took a deep breath, enjoying his lack of pain as he wasn't sure how long being pain free would last. Harry focused on his surroundings, and realized that the sun was just rising, so it was almost morning. He then remembered what had happened last night, and couldn't help but blush at remembering his breakdown. He cried, _cried, _on Professor Snape of all people!

Covering his face and groaning, Harry couldn't stop the embarrassment that crept over him and he hoped that he wouldn't see Professor Snape for a long time.

Just as he thought that, however, the door creaked open and the man that he least wanted to see stepped into the room, as well as another man that he thought was familiar but couldn't quite remember where he saw him from.

He quickly removed his hands from his face and ducked down to hide underneath the covers, suddenly shy.

_Come on, Harry! _He berated himself. _You fought in a war and managed to live, suddenly you can face your scary ex-potions professor!_

Forcing himself out from underneath the covers, Harry sat up and managed not to hide from the people that were standing in the room. He looked over at Snape and the other man that was standing beside him and noticed that they both were trying not to smile at Harry's antics.

Harry tried hard not to pout at them.

The man that was standing next to Snape couldn't help but smile and said, "You're cute, Harry."

Harry gaped at him and couldn't help from shouting, "I am not cute!"

Realizing that he shouted and acted a bit childish, he clapped his hand over his mouth and glared at them.

The man that said that he was cute raised his hands in the air in a mock surrender, smirked and said, "Alright, alright, you're not cute, then."

That comment only made Harry's glare intensify onto the unknown man, but seeing the man's smirk gave him a weird sense of deja-vu.

Snape rolled his eyes to the ceiling, exasperated by their antics, which made Harry feel better since Snape was the only source of normalcy to him in this room.

"All joking aside," the unknown man said while he walked over to Harry's bedside, "I should introduce myself. Harry, it's finally a pleasure to see you awake. This anti-social man standing next to me is Severus Snape, and my name is Tom Riddle."

Harry couldn't help his eyes widening a little at hearing Tom's name, nor could he stop the inner panic that washed over him.

_No, focus_, Harry told himself. _This is not the same Tom Riddle that you knew. This man's eyes are different. Less... insane and more human._

Harry focused on Tom and Severus and saw that they were looking at him intently with indecipherable expressions on their faces.

_Crap, I need to watch my facial expressions more, or else I'll start to look more suspicious than I already do._

Tom was the first one to break the silence by asking, "Well, ready for some breakfast Harry?"

Harry couldn't help but regard Tom with a semi-suspicious look but still tentatively said, "Yes, please." Sadly, after being tricked with the promise of food too many times has made Harry a bit on the leery side whenever someone offered him food.

Tom couldn't help but smile sadly at Harry, which Harry thought was strange since the man barely even knew him so why would he care?

Tom held his hand out to Harry and said, "Alright, come on then."

Harry couldn't help but stare at Tom's hand for a few seconds before he slowly put his own hand into his. Harry was surprised as to how warm Tom's hand was, and it surprisingly made him feel safe.

Tom helped Harry off of the bed, but wouldn't let go of his hand until they finally made their way into a dining room, and led Harry to one of the empty chairs that had an already set place.

Both Severus and Tom took the seats that were across from Harry's so that they wouldn't intimidate him more than they already have this morning, Harry assumed.

"Tipsy!" Tom called.

A sudden pop from the house elf made Harry jump, as loud noises tended to make him on edge, but relaxed when he saw the elf.

"What be Tipsy be getting masters and little master?" asked Tipsy.

"Just some broth, please. Harry still needs to get used to food and it won't be fair if we eat something rich while Harry is the only one to drink broth. Thank you, Tipsy," Tom said.

Inwardly Harry was surprised with how much respect this Tom was treating his own house elf. Not to mention that Tom would also have broth with Harry so that he wouldn't be sad when he saw the delicious food that he wouldn't be able to eat. Feeling his eyes starting to burn, Harry shoved his emotions aside so he wouldn't cry. That would be reliving last night, which was something that he hoped wouldn't happen again for a very long time.

If Tom or Severus noticed Harry's inner struggle, they didn't mention anything, for which Harry was extremely grateful for. Tipsy brought their broth quickly, and Harry tried to eat slowly, but it proved to be a challenge but he managed. Finally after all three of them were finished eating, Severus finally spoke up by saying, "Alright Harry, time for your potions and then perhaps a nap."

Harry couldn't help but groan. Now he had to drink more nasty potions and then a nap, a _nap!_ Being eight was definitely going to be something that he had to get used to, as well as being cared for._ Well, _Harry thought, _this whole caring business is going to take a while for me to get used to._


	12. Chapter 11

**A/N: Hi, everyone! Sorry this took so long but I kind of hit a road block with this. Hopefully I've gotten over it for now. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter and tell me what you think! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter and I am not making any money off of this. This is purely fan-made.**

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Chapter 11

Harry fell asleep easily for his afternoon nap to the surprise of both Tom and Severus. They both expected Harry to have a hard time falling asleep after having a rough night and morning. Tom sighed while Severus was sitting quietly, a contemplative look on his face.

"His reactions are a bit odd," Severus mentioned, voice low.

"Yes, he doesn't seem very scared with all of the magic going on. That's a bit odd since this would be his first time being surrounded by magic, not just him causing accidental magic and not knowing what was happening. However, I am starting to believe that there is more to this young boy than meets the eye. He seems...older than his actual age. You can see it in his eyes, how old and tired they are. It makes me worry for him," Tom admitted.

"That, and the way he reacted when he heard your name was odd. I saw fear in his eyes for just a split second, but it was there. That reaction makes me both curious and concerned. Just why would he have that sort of reaction to someone he had never met before?" Severus asked, looking at the sleeping boy on the bed.

Tom was also staring at the boy on the bed, trying to find an answer to Severus' question. He seemed to get more questions than answers which was starting to frustrate him. Just who was this boy, and why did he react in that way? These were questions that he couldn't answer, and he wished he could interrogate the boy, but that would make Harry even more afraid, and that was something that Tom wouldn't want. He cared for the boy after all.

"His reaction to the house elf was interesting. He jumped from the elf popping into the room, but he wasn't afraid of the elf. His reaction was a bit odd, since most children that have never experienced the magical world before would be more afraid of the actual creature, and not the noise," Tom told Severus.

Severus looked briefly at Tom, and then back to the boy. "Yes, I noticed that as well. I find it to be an extremely odd reaction. Another question that I don't have any answers to."

Tom sighed again and rubbed at his temples. "This is starting to become more complicated than I thought it would be. I was expecting a child to be afraid, curious, or wary of magic but Harry seems to be the opposite of that. He seems uninterested, or perhaps used to it in some way while afraid and wary of different things that I can safely say is not a good thing. Fear of strangers, noises, and who knows what else. It makes me sad just thinking about the things that could have caused this."

Severus rubbed his eyes and said, "We're just going to have to help him. Maybe try to get him to talk about it. It doesn't have to be us, but maybe a mind healer. First, we should try to gain Harry's trust and then try and talk to him about it. I believe pushing him would just make him more wary and frightened than he already is."

Tom nodded in silent agreement and closed his eyes. Yes, they had a lot of work to do, possibly years of it, but firmly believed that it would all be worth it in the end.

* * *

"Draco, what are you doing?" Lucius Malfoy asked his eight-year-old son, who seemed to be making a mess of his bedroom.

Startled, Draco spun around from where he was standing, holding a stuffed dragon. Looking guilty for making such a mess.

"I was just trying to find something for Harry as a gift. I know that he must be lonely!" Draco said, finally looking at Lucius with stubbornness in his eyes.

Lucius sighed and approached his son. He knelt down so that he would be at eye-level with Draco.

"So, did you figure out which toy to give him?" Lucius asked.

Eyes downcast and looking unsure, Draco reluctantly lifted his stuffed dragon as though reluctant to part with it.

Knowing his son well, Lucius said, "Draco, you're not going to give him your stuffed dragon. He's yours."

Eyes wide and starting to water, Draco couldn't stop his lip from trembling and said, "But Harry needs a friend!"

Lucius couldn't help but smile gently at his son. "Then we'll just have to go pick one out for him at the toy store later today."

"Really?" Draco asked his father, looking at him with hope.

"Really," Lucius said. "Now, let's clean up your room and then we can go get Harry a friend."

Draco smiled and said, "Okay, daddy."

Lucius ruffled his sons hair affectionately and started to help clean up the messy room, without the use of magic. After all, relying on magic for everything wasn't something that he wanted to teach his son.

Father and son happily cleaned up the messy room, and then went to go search for a friend for Harry.


	13. Chapter 12

**AN: Hi guys! I'm so sorry for making you all wait over three months for the next chapter. College this semester has been killing me (don't ever take linguistics unless you're really into it. It's crazy.). I also got a new puppy so I now have a cat, a puppy, and a dog. It's a bit crazy here haha. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this new chapter. Also a question: Do you guys want this to be a creature fic? It's something I am debating but I need to remind you all that there won't be any slash or romance in this fic. Sorry, it's something that I'm not comfortable with writing just yet. Let me know what you guys think when you review. Thanks for all of your support!**

**Warning: OOC, and there may be grammar mistakes. Sorry in advance.**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own and I never will.**

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Harry was woken up by fingers that were stroking through his hair. Groaning, he reluctantly opened his eyes and saw Tom sitting on the side of his bed. Now he knows who decided to be mean and wake him up. Harry glared at Tom, wanting to go back to sleep.

Tom just smiled at him and said, "Come now, Harry. It's time to get up or else you won't be able to go to bed later."

Harry internally sighed and slowly sat up. Still trying to wake up from his nap, he didn't care that he was gently lifted into Tom's arms. Tom carrying him made him feel safe so he couldn't help that he started to fall back asleep on Tom's shoulder. He only woke up when he was gently placed in a chair at the dining room table.

Opening his eyes and becoming more aware, he noticed that Professor Snape was already sitting at the table in the opposite of him looking at him with kind eyes. Realizing what just transpired, his face flushed in embarrassment and stared at the table as if it were the most interesting thing in the room. He wasn't used to this kindness. Especially not from these two.

"Hello, Harry," Professor Snape said. "You're looking better. How do you feel?"

Getting over his embarrassment, Harry looked at Professor Snape and knew that he was genuinely concerned about him. He was happy that someone cared but wasn't sure how to handle it. He wasn't used to being cared for, especially not from adults. He was used to being alone that he wasn't sure how to handle all of these new emotions.

Shyly, he replied, "Tired."

His reply made Professor Snape laugh.

Eyes wide, Harry stared. He doesn't remember Professor Snape laughing before and seeing him laugh now was caused by him. Something warm coursed through him and made him unbelievably happy.

"Would you like a snack, Harry?"

Hearing Tom's voice made him jump slightly. He totally forgot that the man was in the room.

"I apologize for startling you. Would you still like something to eat?" Tom asked.

Just the thought of food made his stomach grumble.

"Yes, please," Harry said to Tom.

Harry ate a light snack that consisted of more broth. He was starting to get sick of it but he didn't dare complain. Just getting food was enough for him to be grateful. He was still hungry but he knew that if he ate anymore it would only come back up. Harry sighed slightly from his depressing thoughts.

Professor Snape spoke up as though reading Harry's mind.

"I know that you're getting tired of eating the same thing but I have a surprise after dinner."

Harry couldn't help but become excited and a little bit curious. He couldn't wait until dinner.

* * *

Tom decided to take Harry to his library to start teaching him more about the magical world. He felt a little bit guilty for being suspicious of Harry's behavior and this was also another test to see how Harry would react when he showed him books on the magical world. He felt guilty for doing it but he wanted to help Harry in any way possible, even if it meant bringing up past wounds.

Harry was oblivious in regards to Tom's thoughts but he had his own problems to deal with. He wasn't sure how long he could keep up the act of him being ignorant of magic and when they find out, he wasn't sure how to handle it.

Harry didn't realize that Tom led him to the library until he stepped into the room and saw several tall rows of bookshelves all over the room. It was an amazing library that could rival the Black's.

"Alright, Harry. I'm going to give you a few books for you to read that will help introduce you to the wizarding world," Tom said, leading him to a certain row of books.

Harry's eyes lit up in excitement that wasn't faked. He always loved to read but he wasn't able to read much in his previous life because of the Dursley's and also Hermione.

Noticing Harry's look, Tom couldn't help but smile at Harry's enthusiasm.

Tom handed Harry a book that talked about a child's magical core and what they should expect before getting their wand. Harry was in awe. He has never seen nor heard of this book before!

Tom then handed Harry another book that was supposed to help him meditate in order to connect with his magical core so that his magic would come to him easily without a wand. This would definitely help his wandless magic that he hasn't been able to control very well since coming to this world.

Tom led Harry to one of the library armchairs and had him sit in it.

"Okay, Harry. I would like for you to read just a little bit every day. First, I want you to start reading the book that explains your magical core and how your magic will act before you get your first wand. When you are finished with the first book, I then would like for you to read the second one that I gave you. After you are finished with these two books, let me know so that I can give you the next ones that I would like for you to read," Tom explained.

"Thank you, Tom," Harry happily said.

Tom's eyes softened and said, "You're welcome, Harry."

Harry opened the first book and started to read. He couldn't wait to learn more about his magic and the differences between this world's magic and his old ones. Harry was so engrossed in the book that he lost track of time until Tom gently grabbed the book from him and bookmarked his page.

"Harry, it's time for dinner. I see that you're the type of reader like Severus is. Too engrossed in their book to recognize what is happening around them."

Harry felt guilty and said, "I'm sorry." He didn't want Tom to be upset with him.

Tom gently stroked Harry's hair to calm him down. "It's alright Harry, I was just teasing you. I'm very glad that you enjoy the book so much. Are you ready for dinner?"

Startled, Harry looked at Tom and asked, "It's dinner time already?"

Tom laughed at Harry's expression and said, "Yes, you've been reading for three hours at least."

Harry felt a little bad for making Tom wait three hours for him but decided that Tom didn't care much about it by the way that he was acting.

Tom held out his hand to Harry and said, "Come, let's go eat. I believe Severus said that he has a surprise for you after dinner."

Harry eagerly took Tom's hand.


	14. Chapter 13

**AN: Hello everyone! I'm so sorry this took me forever to write. I hit a road block with it and became busy with real life stuff. I hope this chapter makes up for my slow update. If you guys have any questions, please let me know! I'll try to explain it the best I can. I'm mostly writing whatever springs into my mind as I have no direction as to where this story is going so usually inspiration hits me when I'm actually sitting down trying to write another chapter. Thank you everyone for being patient with me and thank you guys so much for your reviews! Hope you enjoy this chapter as I think the twist is pretty shocking! Let me guys know what you think and enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own anything that is Harry Potter. **

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Dinner was another helping of broth and Harry's face couldn't help but fall when he saw the bowl of broth waiting for him on the table. He may have even scowled at it which caused Professor Snape to laugh though he tried to hide it by coughing. Harry pouted at him but he didn't put up much of a fuss and drank it anyway.

Once Harry was finished eating, he noticed Professor Snape walking towards him. Harry looked at him in confusion when he held out his hand for him to take. He placed his hand in his previous Professor's bigger one and was led down towards a basement to what Harry suspected was a potion's lab. Tom didn't follow them and he stayed seated in the kitchen reading some kind of paper Harry was unable to make out. He was unsure as to why Professor Snape was leading him down here with just the two of them, but he wasn't scared or worried. He trusted Professor Snape with his life. After all, the man did sacrifice his life for him…

Harry shook his head to get rid of those thoughts. This Professor Snape wasn't the same one as the one he personally knew. If he kept comparing them, then he was going to become attached again and getting attached only led to heartbreak.

Unknowingly, Harry was unable to see Professor Snape's grim expression he had on his face. If he had seen it, he would have been worried.

They finally reached the potions lab and Professor Snape brought Harry over to a cauldron that seemed to have a finished potion in it. However, once Harry looked at it more closely, he realized that it was only in stasis.

Still holding his hand, Professor Snape said, "Harry, the reason I brought you here was because I brewed a potion for you that would hopefully give you some answers as to where you came from and who your actual parents are. I wanted to do this because it is highly unusual for magical children to be sent to a muggle orphanage. However, I wanted to ask you if you were willing to find out your lineage. I won't force you, it will be your decision." Surprised, Harry looked at Professor Snape wide-eyed. He wasn't sure what to think or how he should feel. He was scared mostly because he was unsure if he even had any family in this Universe. He wasn't sure what Fate did or how she allowed him to come here, but he didn't trust her either. She was, after all, the being that hadn't allowed him to move on and be with his loved ones in the afterlife. In fact, he disliked her immensely but he didn't really have the energy to feel much anger towards her. It just wasn't worth it.

He couldn't help but wanting to know. He was afraid, but his fear wasn't as great as his need to know if he had any family left. He was afraid to hope that there may be others that were related to him and didn't want him, like the Dursley's.

Taking a deep breath, Harry looked at Professor Snape and gave him a small nod indicating that he was willing.

"Alright Harry, I just need to remove the stasis of the potion and add a little bit of your blood. It will only hurt for a moment but then the pain will be gone," Professor Snape explained.

Harry was grateful that Professor Snape didn't try to sugar coat what needed to happen in order for the potion to work. He gave Professor Snape his hand, and allowed himself to be pricked in the finger by a small cutting utensil. Harry figured it was what Professor Snape used specifically for these types of potions where blood was required but the name of the actual object eluded him.

Professor Snape allowed a few drops of Harry's blood to drip into the potion and then quickly muttered a healing spell and closed the cut on his finger. Harry was grateful since if it were a bigger cut, he may have had flashbacks of that stupid graveyard due to Voldemort and the Triwizard Tournament.

Holding his breath, Harry watched Professor Snape finish the potion and then scooped some into a flask. He then poured it onto the parchment paper that was sitting onto a small table off to the side of the room.

Professor Snape inhaled in surprise, picked up the paper with both hands and slowly walked to Harry. Watching his professor's reactions made him worried, and reluctantly grabbed the piece of parchment paper from him. He slowly looked down and couldn't keep his eyes from widening or gasping out loud.

_Hadrian Cadmus Gaunt_

_Father: Morfin Gaunt (unknown)_

_Mother: Aileen Potter (deceased)_

_Cousin: Tom Marvolo Riddle_

Harry couldn't help but stare at the paper disbelievingly. This couldn't be happening. This was something that comes from a nightmare not in real life.

He looked at Professor Snape and wondered if his reaction was unusual. However, Professor Snape wasn't paying attention to him, he seemed to be a bit out of it. Harry gently grabbed his sleeve which caused Professor Snape to slightly startle and to quickly look at him. His professor's expression relaxed when he looked at him, and he gently grabbed his hand and brought him back to the kitchen where Tom was still reading the unknown paper.

Tom looked up at them and asked, "So, how did it go?"

Professor Snape looked at him and then took the paper from Harry's other hand and handed to quietly over to Tom. Tom quickly glanced at the parchment and his facial expression wasn't as surprised as Harry thought that it was going to be.

Quietly, to the point where Harry barely heard him, Tom whispered, "As I suspected."

Harry stood there confused and extremely lost.

Tom placed the paper on the table and walked to Harry and knelt in front of him. He placed his hands gently on Harry's shoulders and then pulled him into a hug. Confused and extremely overwhelmed, Harry placed his small arms around Tom's waist and buried his head into his shoulder.

"Finally," Tom whispered, "I finally found you. Welcome home, Harry."

Tom's words caused tears to appear in Harry's eyes. He was tired of crying, he was tired of almost everything. However, he now had Tom, and Professor Snape, and even Lucius. He was finally feeling like he was no longer alone.


End file.
